Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34333102›Full record

ArticleJournal of hepatology2021

Protease inhibitor-based direct-acting antivirals are associated with increased risk of aminotransferase elevations but not hepatic dysfunction or decompensation.

Jessie Torgersen, Craig W Newcomb, Dean M Carbonari, Christopher T Rentsch, Lesley S Park, Alyssa Mezochow, Rajni L Mehta, Lynn Buchwalder, Janet P Tate, Norbert Bräu and 5 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of hepatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Jessie TorgersenDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: jessie.torgersen@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Craig W NewcombDepartment of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Dean M CarbonariDepartment of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Christopher T RentschDepartment of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
Lesley S ParkStanford Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Alyssa MezochowDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Rajni L MehtaVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Lynn BuchwalderVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Janet P TateVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Norbert BräuJames J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Debika BhattacharyaVA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Joseph K LimVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Tamar H TaddeiVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Amy C JusticeVA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Division of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
Vincent Lo ReDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yale University · USCenter for Clinical Research (United States) · USJames J. Peters VA Medical Center · USStanford University · USUniversity of Pennsylvania · USVA Connecticut Healthcare System · USVA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System · US

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
Virus & Reservoirs CoreP30AI045008 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI DAVID S METZGER · 1999 to 2026
$78.6M
Alcohol Associated Outcomes Among HIV+/-Aging VeteransU01AA013566 · NIAAA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI JUSTICE, AMY CAROLINE · 2002 to 2005
$10.1M
(PQ4)HIV and Aging Mechanisms for Hepatocellular CancerR01CA206465 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI JUSTICE, AMY CAROLINE, LO RE, VINCENT · 2016 to 2020
$2.5M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NCI NIH HHS R01 CA206465NIAAA NIH HHS U01 AA013566NIAID NIH HHS P30 AI045008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsCases of acute liver injury (ALI) have been reported among chronic HCV-infected patients receiving protease inhibitor (PI)-based direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens, but no analyses have compared the risk of ALI in patients receiving PI- vs. non-PI-based DAAs. Thus, we compared the risk of 3 ALI outcomes between patients (by baseline Fibrosis-4 [FIB-4] group) receiving PI-based or non-PI-based DAAs.

methodsWe conducted a cohort study of 18,498 patients receiving PI-based DAA therapy (paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir±dasabuvir, elbasvir/grazoprevir, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) matched 1:1 on propensity score to those receiving non-PI-based DAAs (sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir) in the 1945-1965 Veterans Birth Cohort (2014-2019). During exposure to DAA therapy, we determined development of: i) alanine aminotransferase (ALT) >200 U/L, ii) severe hepatic dysfunction (coagulopathy with hyperbilirubinemia), and iii) hepatic decompensation. We used Cox regression to determine hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs for each ALI outcome within groups defined by baseline FIB-4 (≤3.25; >3.25).

resultsAmong patients with baseline FIB-4 ≤3.25, those receiving PIs had a higher risk of ALT >200 U/L (HR 3.98; 95% CI 2.37-6.68), but not severe hepatic dysfunction (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.19-2.39) or hepatic decompensation (HR 1.01; 95% CI 0.29-3.49), compared to those receiving non-PI-based regimens. For those with baseline FIB-4 >3.25, those receiving PIs had a higher risk of ALT >200 U/L (HR, 2.15; 95% CI 1.09-4.26), but not severe hepatic dysfunction (HR, 1.23 [0.64-2.38]) or hepatic decompensation (HR, 0.87; 95% CI 0.41-1.87), compared to those receiving non-PI-based regimens

conclusionWhile risk of incident ALT elevations was increased in those receiving PI-based DAAs in both FIB-4 groups, the risk of severe hepatic dysfunction and hepatic decompensation did not differ between patients receiving PI- or non-PI-based DAAs in either FIB-4 group. LAY SUMMARY: Cases of liver injury have been reported among patients treated with protease inhibitor-based direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C infection, but it is not clear if the risk of liver injury among people starting these drugs is increased compared to those starting non-protease inhibitor-based therapy. In this study, patients receiving protease inhibitor-based treatment had a higher risk of liver inflammation than those receiving a non-protease inhibitor-based treatment, regardless of the presence of pre-treatment advanced liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. However, the risk of severe liver dysfunction and decompensation were not higher for patients treated with protease inhibitor-based regimens.

Indexed as

AgedAntiviral AgentsCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLiver Failure, AcuteMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreProportional Hazards ModelsProtease InhibitorsRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsTransaminasesUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsAntiviral AgentsProtease InhibitorsTransaminasesacute liver injurydirect-acting antiviralshepatitis Cprotease inhibitor

Identifiers

PMID34333102
PMCPMC8604762
OpenAlexW3186867689

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.